I can see the Light
by SilverIcefire
Summary: LuxXEzreal, KatXGaren. What is there left to say? Nope, not hentai. T for language/themes/alcohol
1. Chapter 1

_**AN:**_** I honestly have no words. First shot at a LoL fanfic but...**

**ASDFKASDKFJALKSDJFALKSDJFLKSDJFKL **

**LuxxEz is too much I can't live without it that is all.**

**Oh wait and also GarenxKatarina**

**Ya**

**Um**

**Plz R&R I will luv u 5ever 3**

Lux walked down the marbled hallway in the Institute of War. She made a left at the next fork, a familiar path from her days of studying and researching. _The things I do for that bozo,_ she thought with a sigh as the double doors to the library swung open at her touch. _Then again, the sight of Garen in a library would be enough to make me quit working for the League._ The thought of her giant brother huddled at one of the delicate oak tables made the mage crack a slight smile.

Nasus was not at the main dest that he normally occupied, but the tips of his ears could be seen over a bookshelf in the "Non-magical World Studies" section. Lux considered calling out a greeting to him, but he typically preferred to work in peace, so she stepped across the room as quietly as possible.

The section of books covering Noxian topics was moderately sized, spanning three bookcases of five shelves each. "DuCouteau..." Lux muttered to herself, tracing the labels with one index finger. _Demons, Drag Queens, Dragons, Ducks...ducks?_ She frowned and did a double-take. Yup. "Ducks of Noxus."

Sliding the ladder over to where she was, Lux stepped up and continued her search on the top of the next shelf. "Aha!" Sliding out the fifth book from the top, Lux read the cover. "The Biography of the House of DuCouteau." _Perfect._ She gave herself a mental pat on the back and jumped lightly off. Pausing in the central area of the library, Lux pondered for a moment. _He asked for information on this family, right? For the purpose of militaristic stratagems. Always in cahoots with Jarvan, of course. _She frowned and looked at the clock. 11:35 AM. _I have a match in less than two hours...he can read this one for himself. _

The archive-keeper was now at his station. He greeted Lux with a polite head nod. "Taking one to go?" he asked. She nodded and replied with a smile, "One for the prince, if you don't mind."

As she shouldered her way through the door, Lux opened the book and flipped through the pages. Nothing interesting at all caught her eye. Scowling at the formality of the language used and even more so at the content, which was of absolutely zero interest and taste to her, she didn't notice the door swinging open in front of her until it was too late. Whacking into it head on and dropping her book, Lux could've sworn that Raka had just dropped a Q on her face.

Sitting haphazardly on her rear in the middle of the hall, rubbing her forehead, Lux blinked her blue eyes several times to clear the dizziness. "My gods, I'm sorry!" Someone was extending a hand to her. She took it and hauled herself up. "Oh! Ms. Crownguard, my humble apologies," Ezreal said, taking a tiny bow. Catching the note of teasing in his voice, Lux laughed and bent to pick up her book. "Not a problem, my bad," she said. "Saw you in the listings for the battle this afternoon."

That brought a scowl to his face. "Yeah. I was planning a trip out to the Freljord this evening, too, but that'll have to be postponed till tomorrow morning now." The explorer sighed heavily. "Just taking this useless piece of garbage over to the examination rooms." Ezreal lifted a stone that looked slightly like a blue sword, resting in the nook of his arm. "I call it the Ohmwrecker," he announced with sarcastic zeal, which brought another tinkling laugh out of Lux. "It's worth ten times its weight in gold, but does absolutely nothing of any use, that I can tell of."

"Well, good luck with that," Lux said. "I have to bring this to the palace before I get back to be ready for this afternoon. I guess I'll see you later?" Ezreal nodded and stepped aside to let Lux pass. "Blue side too OP! See ya at the summoning!" He called after her.

She suppressed another smile. _I suppose all the time he spends out exploring the world, he doesn't get much social interaction. Adorable kind of awkwardness, he's got._


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you understand, Katarina?" The man sat in his throne-like chair and stared at her with piercing eyes. At his right side, a raven, perched on his staff, made a graaacking noise. The bird dipped her beak into a small trough sitting by the side of the seat and pulled out a bloody piece of meat.

The red-haired girl standing before them clenched her jaw. Her hands were clasped behind her back tightly. She blinked her emerald eyes a couple of times, regaining her composure. Meeting Swain's gaze, she gave a firm salute, "Yes, sir. Understood. That is within my ability." Swain smiled and nodded. "Very well then, you're dismissed. I believe you have a...diplomatic meeting tonight, in Demacia? Safe travels." Katarina bowed slightly and turned to leave.

Right outside the chambers, she ran into a purple-hooded figure, who had been waiting. "Talon," she acknowledged him. "Formal as ever," he muttered. "Sometimes don't you just want to take a break from all this?" She didn't look at him, but kept walking. He followed after her. "What would Father think of a vacation?" Katarina said dryly. Talon narrowed his eyes. "Marcus would be worried for your well-being. You seem stressed. Is there something you need to talk about?"

They rounded the corner and Katarina shoved open the doors that led to the street. The pair headed down the main boulevard of Noxus towards the main gate, where a saddled horse was supposed to be waiting for Katarina.

She laughed. "Since when are you the concerned type? At any rate, you're supposed to be Cass' caretaker, not mine. I don't need you." Talon looked stung for a moment, but quickly reattained his stoic composure with a sigh. "I'm concerned when you actually show expression. Whatever Swain told you just now, it didn't agree with you. That much I can tell, but would you enlighten me as to what he said?" The gatekeeper opened the pedestrian door for them to pass. A grey Appaloosa was saddled and tied to the outer fence. Katarina swung herself up and gathered the reins.

"Thank you very much for your concern, Mr. Dear Adoptive Brother Psychiatrist Wannabe Father Figure," she sighed with undisguised sarcasm, "but I'm not at liberty to disclose that information. I'll see you soon. If all goes well, I should be back by Saturday." Talon raised an eybrow. "Saturday? What are you attending, that will take five days?" Katarina turned her horse around towards the road and snapped, "A meeting. None of your concern." Talon scratched at his unshaven chin and pinched the bridge of his nose. _This girl is really tedious to be around. Why do I bother?_ "Take care, then."

Katarina didn't reply, but took off down the road. "Everyone and their politeness today," she muttered to herself. "Makes me nauseous."

The walk from the Institute to the Demacian Palace was a comfortable half hour. Lux was just arriving at the front doors when she caught sight of a familiar blue-armored figure lumbering down the road from the opposite direction. "Garen!" she called. Her brother looked up and waved, quickening his pace to meet her.

He wrapped his younger sister in a tight bear hug and held her out at shoulder length. "How've you been, Lux? It's been exactly seventeen hours and thirty-six minutes since we last met. Done anything exciting? Met any new men for me to beat up?" Lux scowled at her paranoid sibling and didn't reply. Reaching behind her and pulling her satchel around, she grabbed the book and slapped it to Garen's chest. "Here," she said. "Brought you a present."

Garen's eyes widened. "A book?" He looked at it and groaned. "When I asked for research on the duCouteau's, I didn't want to do it myself..." Lux grinned. "Of course not. But it sucks to be a sucker, doesn't it?" She winked at him. Garen made a face. "Are you coming in?" He jerked a thumb towards the building. Lux tipped her head back to look at the façade, which was unnecessarily articulately designed. "Yeah," she said. "I need to get my baton from my room, left it here. Got a match today."

"Oh?" Garen said, pushing the door open and holding it for her. "What are the lineups?" He started flipping through his book, which gave Lux the impression that he was barely paying attention, but she responded anyway, "Blue side is myself at mid, Shyv in the jungle, Tryndamere top, Ezreal carry, and Sona support. Didn't bother to look at purple team, since I was in a hurry." Garen furrowed his brow and peered at the text, which, in his opinion, was way too small and didn't contain enough pictures. "Mmmm..." he said. Lux rolled her eyes and clapped him on the back. "I'll catch up with you later."

They parted ways at the next hallway. Lux strolled down to the right, tracing a finger along the gold wall runners. One, two, three, four, five doors down, she yanked out a key from her bag and unlocked the door. Her room was neat, unlike Garen's next door, and adorned with simple décor. Her bed had a silver metal frame and a headboard with swirling leaf patterns. The floor was carpeted, white, and ever-so-slightly plushy. The only other furniture was a dresser table with a mirror, a small bench, and a chest at the foot of her bed. She had a window that overlooked the street, directly across from the sweets shop outside.

_Now where did I leave it?_ Lux thought to herself, tapping her chin. _Ah. Right._ She bent over and selected a different key from her ring and unlocked the chest. Her baton was resting lightly on top of piles of books and some small jewelry boxes. She grabbed it and stuck it into its holder on her belt, and was about to shut the lid when she noticed something shiny sticking out of one of the boxes. Curious, Lux lifted it up and opened the small box, pulling out a silver necklace that had a single diamond, cut in the shape of a teardrop, dangling from the chain.

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, Lux held it up to the light streaming in from the window. Rainbow lights, refracted from the gem's facets, danced around the room. This had been a gift from her brother for her birthday seven months ago. Lux remembered going with him to the market and catching him staring at the jewelry stall while she was buying vegetables. She cracked a small smile to herself before tucking it back into its box and returning it to the chest. _He might be a bumbling bozo, but I think his heart's in the right place._

In the blue summoning room, Shyvana, Tryndamere, Sona, and Ezreal were sitting around the circular table. Trynd had helped himself to the pile of assorted breads and fruits in the center, licking his fingers of cranberry compote as he finished off a third baguette. All the while, he'd been trying to carry on a conversation with Shyvana and Ezreal, but Shyvana kept making disgusted faces at him as he ate with his mouth full. Sona quietly rubbed her cloth along the strings of her instrument, making soft plinking noises. Ezreal twiddled his thumbs, looking extremely bored. _I could be halfway to Freljord by now,_ he mused

"Then," the king continued, crumbs scattering his chin, "I jumped out and tackled the boar head-on from the bush. At the same moment, I heard Ashe's bowstring make that _KA-TWANGGGGGG_! I broke the pig's neck and saw the tip of the arrow sticking out of its brains an inch from my own nose!" he laughed heartily at his memory, while the others either ignored him or continued to scowl while taking a banana from the food pile. _And people call _me _a social invalid..._ Ezreal thought. He made a mental note to try to spend minimal time in the big cities once he made it to Freljord.

The door creaked open and Lux slipped in. "Hello, all! Am I late?" she said, her voice hinting at a recent run. "Miss Crownguard," Shyvana nodded her head to the light mage politely. "Hey, Shyv," she smiled in return, taking a seat next to her Demacian friend. "Trynd, Sona, Ezreal, hope you're all doing well?" "Just _fabulous,_ Luxanna," Tryndamere proclaimed. "Excellent jams and jellies, here."

Blue light pulsed through the room as the chandelier changed tint. "Its about time," Ezreal muttered, pushing himself out of his chair and away from the table. "Oh, don't be in such a bad mood," Lux said, a hint of caution in her voice. "Bad moods ruin matches." "It's all in good fun, right?" Tryndamere added, grabbing another loaf of bread to go, "Killing your friends and enemies alike, no pain in the process, blowing up turrets that always come back to life in about an hour or so; how can you not enjoy this?" Ezreal cocked an eyebrow and brushed a hand through his messy blonde hair. "Whatever you say."

_He wasn't this moody earlier,_ Lux thought as the five of them moved into the summoning circle on the far end of the room. "Good luck, hope we all have decent summoners," Shyv said. "Don't feed." The others nodded their agreement, and in a flash of light, the room was empty.

**AN:**** Tried to give this one a little more volume. I dunno if it seems directionless right now, but I'm working it; trying to set up some backbone for the story. Hope you like it! **

**Thanks to those who left a review, please continue to R&R! I will do my best to be diligent about updating **


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN:**_** Okey so this new computer has a hella weird version of Word….if some formatting stuff comes out funny please let me know, I'm still used to 2003 _ **

**This was kinda long, but I'd rather not break it into two chapters, because YOLO. Sorry this update took a little longer than the others; school iz a bitch **

"Garen." The crown Prince of Demacia looked across the room at his childhood friend, who was leaning on the edge of the balcony at the top of the palace. He was thumbing through a small book, which Jarvan found out was concerning his second least favorite Noxian family. "Mmm?" Garen mumbled, licking his finger to turn the page.

J4 wrinkled his nose. "That's disgusting. You don't know how many civilians' saliva has been all over that thing," he scolded. Garen looked up and gave him an undeterred look. "It's from the Institute's archives….I'm pretty sure dog boy goes through and disinfects each page of his precious books every damn day." They both snickered. Garen sighed and snapped the tome shut. "This isn't getting me to any useful places." Jarvan furrowed his brow and said patiently, "The only Noxian who's worth our attention right now is that Swain fellow. The duCouteau's fell from power when Marcus disappeared. He's probably dead anyway."

"Who says its Marcus I'm interested in?" Garen mumbled, looking down and turning to the street. "What was that?"Jarvan's head shot up. Garen didn't say anything, but from his profile, Jarvan thought he could see his normally macho manly man blushing a bit. _Oh gods, not this again…._ He groaned, "Garen, you need to get the hell over that Katarina. She's not good for you, she doesn't want you, and it would never work out." Garen whirled around and glared at him. "How can you make those assumptions? You might be future ruler of Demacia, but not dictator of my life," he spat. "And besides, Katarin—"

At that moment, the gilded doors to the balcony swung open, and in walked Kat herself, flanked on both sides by Demacian guards. "I'm early," she announced. "That shouldn't be a problem, since I assume you had nothing better to do than dither around here until my arrival?" Her green eyes gleamed and she half-smiled. The smirk sent chills down Jarvan's spine. Garen just goggled at her bare midriff for a couple of moments before J4 caught him and gave him a meaningful shove.

Jarvan cleared his throat. "Miss duCouteau, please, have a seat." The three of them sat down at a stone circular table in the center of the balcony, set for tea for three. Garen was still staring at Kat. She glanced over at him and smirked. He blushed and looked at the table.

Katarina felt a wave of nausea roll in her stomach. _Ew….why do I have to do this? Damn you, Swain…_ She coughed and began, "So, there are a few things that need to be discussed concerning the possible amendments to the peace treaty." Reaching into her large sack that she'd brought from home, Katarina pulled out a black quill pen and several sheets of parchment paper that had notes scribbled on them. Dictating from the first sheet of paper, she read,

"31 August, 21 CLE: The League has ordered the Chronokeeper to remove the temporal field surrounding Kalamanda. Noxian representative Katarina duCouteau and Demacian representative Garen Crownguard have brought the city-states' people and forces to a halt; command to retreat has been issued from both sides. A treaty has been agreed upon concerning the unclear circumstances surrounding the assassination of Boram Darkwill." Katarina flipped the page. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Garen staring at inappropriate places again. Jarvan kicked him under the table, and he flinched, slightly upsetting the champagne glasses.

"24 November, 22 CLE: Extenuating circumstances in Noxus, which culminated in Jericho Swain's rise to power as Grand General, call for further investigations to be conducted concerning the late Boram Darkwill's death, prior to the conclusion and signing of any peace treaties. General Swain wishes it made clear that he will not be made to conduct a personal meeting with King Jarvan III of Demacia until the investigations have reached a conclusive end."

She looked up meaningfully. "In other words, you Demacians can't be trusted." Jarvan narrowed his eyes. "The rumors say that Talon duCouteau is responsible for the assassination. My father has already declared that he ordered no assassination for Darkwill. Why is this being revisited now?" Katarina's face flashed with anger. "Talon is not responsible," she hissed.

Garen spoke up quietly, "In my understanding, you came here today to arrange the Grand General's arrival in Demacia for the signing of the treaty, which was scheduled for tomorrow. Now we hear that the signing is to be postponed? Swain has been in power for only six months and he pulls moves like this…" Katarina sighed. "These words are not mine, and the decisions made weren't mine to make either. The Noxian High Command wished further investigations from the start, and it was Swain's call to not trust Demacia." Jarvan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right. You're just the diplomat. And now I have to explain this all to my father." He sighed.

Katarina shook her head. "No. I'm here to help with the investigations in Demacia. And when they're complete, I was asked to bring a Demacian representative back with me to speak before the High Command on our findings." Jarvan threw his head back and laughed. "Right, so its okay for Swain to not trust us, but its okay for us to have to trust you?" The blood rushed to the assasin's face. _Shit. He has a valid argument there…_

"I would be willing to go with Katarina to Noxus," Garen interjected. The other two looked at him in surprise. Kat cocked an eyebrow. "Down, boy," she said coyly, "why so eager?" Garen's face flushed for the umpteenth time. "You're important to Noxus. If they trust us enough to send you, I'd say I'm worth about the same to Demacia." Kat tipped her head to the side slightly and studied Garen for a few split seconds. He was twiddling his thumbs nervously, as if he was worried he'd said something wrong. His classic Demacian captain's streetwear, the gold and blue cloak over an embroidered white tunic and dusty brown pants, seemed too casual for a soldier of his stature and reputation. _He's making it too easy…_ she thought.

"Very well, Garen. Will you come back with me to Noxus on Sunday, then?" He nodded in reply. Jarvan muttered something under his breath but didn't protest. It was either "_Chicken breadrolls"_ or "_His funeral_."

She cleared her throat again, in an attempt to get the talk going. "Since that's settled, shall we commence the investigations in Demacia right away, or—"

"No." Jarvan interjected. "I won't have you snooping around Demacia until my father hears about this change of plans. For now, you'll be assigned a room here in the palace under twenty-four hour surveillance. This bozo-" he nodded towards Garen, "might trust you, but I sure as hell don't trust any Noxians, diplomats or High Command or whatever." His expression still troubled, Jarvan called for the drinks and food to be served.

Katarina looked down at the table and took a deep breath. If she protested to this, then all the plans could be thrown astray. If she asked to write a letter back to Swain or Talon, it would draw even further suspicion. _My best bet is probably to go along with this and wait it out, or if anything, sneak back out to Noxus tonight and be back before the sun rises or the guards notice…_ "Okay, fine, whatever," she said, trying to sound as irritated as possible. She snatched her champagne glass off the table without thanking the server and downed the drink immediately.

Garen and Jarvan exchanged an uneasy glance.

Lux, Ezreal, Tryndamere, Shyvana, and Sona were all crowded into the tiny bush just to the right of Baron Nashor's pit. "How long are we going to sit here for?" Ezreal whispered loudly. "SHHHH!" Tryndamere whispered loudly. "They're coming!"

The time stamp read 43:27. Baron was chillin' like a villan in the circular pit. The blue team, crowded in the tiny bush, out of sight, watched as the enemy Orianna, Caitlin, Zyra, Cho'gath, and Jayce approached the monster. Baron thrashed around and dealt heavy damage to the purple team, which had gone into the fight with a little less than half health to start.

Ezreal sat back on his heels and rested his chin on his hand. _Deal damage faster, for Heaven's sake…._ "Y'know," he spoke up again, speaking for the sake of hearing something other than the roars and battle cries of the nearby scuffle, "isn't it suspicious that we're all crowded together in this one bush? Y'know…." He raised his eyebrows suggestively and smiled slyly. Lux smirked and shot back, "that kind of thing doesn't happen unless the servers go down. But _then…._" Shyvana and Sona looked mortified. Tryndamere laughed loudly.

Cho'Gath used smite on Baron.

The purple team started to recall, but when they heard Trynd's snorting laughter, they looked suspiciously over at the bush.

Jayce was out of mana, so he face-checked.

Shyvana ulted and knocked him back into the rest of his team. Following suit after their wyvern ally, the others followed close behind. Ezreal popped the banana of death at the same time as Lux's laser, and took out Caitlin and Ori, while Shyv finished off Jayce. Sona flashed and unleashed a crescendo on the fleeing Zyra and Cho, KSing Tryndamere on Zyra and leaving him to finish off Cho'Gath.

"Dammit, we missed baron," Trynd huffed. _My bad…_ Ezreal thought a little sheepishly. Sona was trying to mouth an apology, but he wasn't paying attention. "No matter, push and win!" Lux said. She must've caught his embarrassment, because she shot him a reassuring smile as they rushed down the middle lane.

After taking out the inhibitor and both nexus turrets, Caitlin, Orianna, and Jayce had respawned. Before Tryndamere even had a chance to pop his undying rage, he was obliterated by Cait's ultimate. Orianna, equipped with homeguards, threw a shockwave at Shyvana and Lux; the latter managed to flash away, but Shyv was less fortunate. Sona threw a heal at Lux before a ball of light from Jayce dropped her to zero health. Only Lux and Ezreal were left at the nexus, she at barely over a hundred HP and he at about half.

Without saying anything, Lux nodded to Ezreal and ran around the nexus, throwing out a light binding and firing her laser again. It took a decent chunk of health out of the three enemy champions, but it wasn't enough for a kill. She turned and ran, casting a lucent singularity behind her to slow the pursuers. They chased her blindly, tunnel visioning. _Bronze scrubs,_ Ezreal laughed, auto attacking the nexus. It was down to about 700 HP when Cho'Gath and Zyra respawned.

Reacting quickly to his summoner's instructions, Ezreal flashed out of Zyra's ult and Cho's knockup. He autoed the nexus again twice. 476, 262. Zyra and Cho were coming around from opposite sides. _XPEKE!_ Ezreal's summoner yelled. _Wut….?_

He arcane shifted to the other side of the nexus just as Cho silenced. 28 HP.

_XPEKEEEEEEEEEEEE!_

_XPEKE XPEKE XPEKE!_

_Would you shut up?_ Ezreal snapped. He took his time with the last auto. Lux, who was trapped by the wall of the purple base, went "invulnerable" just as an impossibly bright light exploded from the purple nexus.

"VICTORY!"

**Okay so that last bit was completely and utterly random. You all know the Xpeke reference, yes? Yes.**

**R&R :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Lolwhut another chapter? Was about to continue dat habit of abandoning all stories but ya knowwwww yolo :P**

**OKAY SO I JUST REALIZED THE LINE THINGIES WERENT SHOWING UP DERP. sorry about that.**

Katarina heard a knock on the door. She opened her eyes to the orangey pre-sunset light filtering in through the window and rolled over on the downy comforter, throwing her legs over the side of the Demacian bed, sitting up. "What?" she called. "Who is it?"

She heard muffled voices and the sound of her two guards' footsteps walking away. _Hah. Guards._ Not that they would've done any good if she'd wanted to escape. The wooden door creaked open just a slit and a burly face poked in. "Hey," Garen coughed. Katarina scowled at him. "What do you want? Jarvan said we're not starting investigations until tomorrow." Garen nodded and said, "Yeah…but I was thinking I could let you out and show you around a bit. Might make things easier for you to find your way in the morning." She laughed. _Let me out?_

"I'm not your bitch. Don't treat me like a dog," she said. Garen looked confused as to whether she was being serious or teasing, but nevertheless, the Noxian assassin hopped off her bunk and pushed the door open. She caught the flash of happiness that flew across Garen's face for a split second and curbed the roll of uneasiness in her mind. _Uneasiness? _Not a natural feeling of a DuCouteau. Pushing past Garen, she scowled to herself. "Lead on."

Garen pulled the door shut behind them. Kat adjusted her black jacket and rested her hands on the daggers at her waist, feeling their comforting handles. "So you all _do_ trust me, then," she said, twirling one around her index and middle fingers. "Letting a Noxian waltz down your gilded streets armed and dangerous." Slipping Garen a sidelong stare, she stuck the blade back into its sheath and grinned. He gulped very quietly and nervously. "Look," he said, "don't be getting any ideas now. I don't mean anything by this. If you'd rather just sit in your room all evening and night then be my guest."

"What could you possibly _mean_, Crownguard? Just how presumptuous do you think I am?" Katarina cocked an eyebrow. "Cut it with the formalities for a moment and show me your damn city." Garen tried to hide his flushed face by adjusting the collar on his cloak, and then quickened his pace forward down the hall.

* * *

Outside the Institute of War, Ezreal scurried down the stairs, muttering to himself. "Xpeke my foot," he said. "Do I _look_ like Kassadin? Those bronze-level summoners and their wannabe LCS moves just make me feel so _ughhhhhh!_" He tossed his mop of blonde hair and clenched his fists. _I hate the League. I hate society. I just want to be alone._

"Ezreal!" A female voice called from behind him. He whirled around. _Do the gods really hate me that much?_

Lux was practically flying down the stairs after him. "That was a nice match, don't you think?" She said, chatty as ever. Ezreal forced a smile in spite of himself. His angst over being forced back into the civilized world and his delayed trip to Freljord were shoved to the back of his mind in Luxanna's presence. "You weren't too bad yourself," he said graciously. "Are you back off to Demacia?" She nodded.

The light mage looked down at her feet and toed a pebble on the stone stairs. "I, ah, was wondering if you'd like to come with me," she said cautiously. "I know you aren't a fan of the city and all, but aren't a few celebrations in line? I'll buy you a drink." Ezreal looked at her eager blue eyes and found them very hard to deny. He blinked and set his jaw. _I was still planning to leave tonight…_ He pulled at the strap of his satchel and sighed. "I suppose one flight can't hurt. Impossible to turn down a lady and some alcohol, you know," he teased. Lux smiled. "Alright! Let's get going, then."

They set off along the main road, which was well lit by both the oil lamps and the half moon overhead. Although Ezreal really wasn't much into the whole talking-to-people thing, Lux was chatty enough that the conversation rolled along easily, and the minutes between the Institute and the great gates of Demacia slipped by in what seemed to be a matter of seconds.

"Welcome home, Ms. Crownguard!" the gatekeeper called. Lux flashed a brilliant smile. "Good evening," she greeted him. Ezreal looked at the city streets with a sinking feeling. _Whywhywhy did I agree to this….?_ Lux saw him hesitating and turned around. "Come on!" Dragging his feet ever so slightly, he caught up to her and followed again along the cobbled road.

She took him down the main street, past the bustling marketplace. Many faces and vendors greeted Lux by name, and she met each one with her luminous smile. _How can this not get old after more than one day? _Ezreal wondered. The familiarity and daily monotony of city life would drive him utterly insane.

As for his companion, the deeper they went into the city streets, the more she seemed to shine. He didn't really consider himself to be a "ladies' man" sort of guy, but Ezreal couldn't help but find himself interested in Luxanna Crownguard. Not in that simple, fluffy, crushy-wushy kind of way. She was always seemingly so bubbly and cheerful, but her eyes betrayed her amiable exterior. She often sat at the library chairs close to the windows on the tallest towers, and Ezreal would see her in passing staring forlornly out into the world beyond Demacia's walls. People who promised more layers, like an unexplored ruin or temple, were naturally points of interest for the Prodigal Explorer.

* * *

The bell tower atop the Demacian palace tolled twelve times, marking midnight's arrival. Garen pulled his cloak a little tighter to ward off the chilly night air, and glanced at Katarina, who was walking alongside him looking surprisingly not bored. "Aren't you cold?" he asked, flicking his eyes to her midriff again. She crossed her arms. "These things don't bother me," she muttered. "Don't offer me your cloak; I'll burn it." Katarina tossed her long red hair over her shoulders and suppressed a shiver. Garen felt heat rising in his face and was very tempted to chivalrously throw the cloak over her anyway, but fearing for his life, decided against it.

"This place isn't as drab as I'd thought before," she commented. "Is that so?" Garen replied dryly, narrowing his eyes. _Is that a veiled insult or a compliment to my city?_ He wondered. "Where can we get some brew?" Kat asked. "First round's on me," she winked. "O-oh," Garen stammered, "um….. theres this one place that my sister really likes. Its in the center square, by the fountain. Is that too mainstream for you?" Katarina mockingly winced and wrinkled her nose, sighing heavily. "I suppose if Luxanna would speak well of it, it can't be too bad. Probably light liquor, like you Demacians do dearly love." Garen scowled. "Hey," he shot back defensively, "don't come at us like that. Lux doesn't like 'light' liquor, anyway," he muttered. "Oh?" Katarina raised an eyebrow. "Well, in that case, lead on."

While Garen led her down the main roads to the Demacian fountain square, he wondered why the normally stoically diplomatic assassin was making what seemed to be efforts at friendliness. _Why does she get to me like that?_ _I don't have time for women._ He scolded himself, shaking his head and hoping to be able to drown these thoughts in whiskey. Garen Crownguard lived and breathed solely for Demacian Justice. Nothing more. Ever.

They reached the tavern, which was called the Yellow Yordle. Kat made a face at the tavern's signboard, which showed a grinning yordle face and and bubbling barrel of brew. "After you," Garen said, shoving the door open. She slipped under his burly arm which held the door and into the dimly lit bar.

"Brother!"

An excited squeal drifted across the room, accompanied by a flash of blonde hair as Lux threw herself at Garen. She was trailed by the stench of alcohol, and her blue eyes were watery and bore a lucid expression. Garen sighed and peeled her off. "Lux, what are you doing here so late? And who is that boy?" He pointed at Ezreal, who had a mug in his slender hands. He was looking concernedly at the six empty mugs that sat by Lux's vacated chair next to him. Lux dragged Garen back to the bar, Katarina trotting behind with a bemused smirk on her face. She looked confusedly at the mugs at her place and giggled slightly, then hiccupped. "This is Ezzie," she said, patting Ezreal's bangs and disrupting his goggles. Ezreal cleared his throat. "Garen, Katarina. We've seen each other around. It's a pleasure." Garen shook his hand. He opened his mouth to address Lux, but then thought better of it. _That's a conversation that can wait until she's sober. _"Katarina, let's go sit over there," he said, giving Lux and Ezreal a look.

* * *

Ezreal was now very concerned with his decision-making abilities and how exactly Lux had managed to put away six half-pints of brandy in the last two hours. At one point, she had started crying uncontrollably for no reason and refused to elaborate beyond little hiccups and ***meep*** noises.

"I should probably go home soon," she said, squinting at the clock. "Hahaha….what does the little hand tell you again?" Ezreal cocked an eyebrow. "Lux, let me walk you to the palace," he offered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He got up and helped her out of her barstool; she turned, slapping down another gold coin for her final drink. Her blonde hair reeked of alcohol, making Ezreal take a sharp breath and hold it as she stumbled/staggered/leaned on him out of the bar. She shivered in the cold blast of air that came from the opened door, clinging to his arm. He tensed up in response, but didn't shrug her off.

Walking quickly, they were soon standing outside the palace gates. "Are you coming in?" Lux asked, her voice slightly slurred. "Why would I….?" Ezreal asked. "It's late," she said, sounding confused. "I'm still going to start heading for Freljord. There are night carriages that can take me halfway before the sun pops over the horizon in the morning; might as well get that headstart on tomorrow." Lux nodded, and then looked at her feet. "Take me with you," she said quietly.

"What?!"

"Take me with you," she repeated, locking eyes with him. "I want out of here. Now." Her sudden intensity took Ezreal by surprise. "What do you mean…..Lux, I think you're drunk. Go inside," he said, a little more forcefully than he had meant. "Don't tell me what to do!" she snapped.

He took a step back. "Lux, I'm not taking you with me. No way. I travel alone." Lux didn't say anything else, but Ezreal could see her defined jawline tensing as she whirled around and turned her back to him. "Thank you for tonight. I'll see you around," she said curtly, striding down the front walk. She shoved the guard aside and opened the door for herself, letting it clonk shut loudly. Ezreal stood outside as the noise resonated in the stone courtyard, her sudden change in personality burning in his mind.

**Yes? No? Maybe? Leave a review, plox :D**


End file.
